Rob, I've hiked / backpacked quite a lot (55 countries on 5 continents at last count), including a two-week hike in Nepal, and I've also had experience travelling with dSLRs and M43. My advice would be to take the M43 and leave the Canon at home.

I'm curious about your exact plans for Nepal. It sounds like you're doing a major trek - maybe the Annapurna Circuit?

I hiked the Annapurna Circuit a few years ago and in my opinion you should definitely just take the M43 kit. The 5D is just too heavy. I realise that you have a porter (I didn't - carried all my stuff myself), but space and weight are still at a premium when you're at 4000m or higher. Every kilo feels like 10 kilos when you hit those altitudes. You'll certainly feel the weight of the 5D after six to eight hours of hiking.

You should DEFINITELY take a fast prime, because most tea-houses have very poor lighting (no electricity in many places), and you will get plenty of good shots indoors, as the mountain people are very photogenic (a 5D will scare the crap out of them).

You should DEFINITELY take lots of batteries, as I only had two or three chances to recharge during my two-week hike.

I'm not sure if you need an ultra-wide angle lens. You'll certainly be taking lots of landscape shots, but the distances can be vast and I found that a lot of my shots were at wide-angle to medium-telephoto length.

I also don't think that dynamic range is such an issue. The sky is a very rich blue most of the time, and doesn't blow out even with a pocket cam.

Enjoy your trip. Nepal is one of my favourite countries in the world the people are amazing, the scenery is awesome, and the cities have spellbounding architecture.

I have just bought in to m4/3 mainly as a lightweight alternative to my SLR gear.

I have no desire to drop the SLR setup, as for certain things it is still a fair bit ahead of m4/3 - having an optical viewfinder, faster af speed and better response to name a couple, not to mention the fact I already have a fair investment in lenses and other gear.

At the same time there are still more than enough times I want a camera better than a compact, but don't want the weight and size of the SLR, which is where a GF2 and 14mm comes into play - great quality, limitations that are easy enough to live with or work around and a very easily carried size.

How do I choose which kit to carry? Thats the trickier question - I can see it being a bit of a tough question when you are looking at something like a big trip, where you really want the best quality, but at the same time want to save the weight...
--
http://www.illaname.deviantart.com

I do have the 24-105 and it's tempting to take especially with the IS, but I thought it duplicated too much what focal length I have with the G3. The 16-35 I have is the mark 2 so sharper than the mark 1, but sharpness isn't it's strongest point..

I may still take the 24-105. If I did leave the 70-300L and 16-35 behind and take the 45-200 for the G3 I'd certainly save a bit on weight.

For the wide end, have you considered a Panasonic 7-14mm? It's a wonderful and quite versatile lens... one of the best M4/3 lenses, actually... and weighs only 300g. It's one of my most used lenses, which I carry with a 20mm, 14-140mm and a Nikon 60mm f2.8 macro lens with my GH2 as a travel kit. That covers everything but extreme telephoto.

There's no way I'd carry heavy gear at high altitude myself, but in 2000 I met a guy carrying a 4x5 camera and huge tripod in the Everest region. He was carrying the camera gear himself, but had a porter for everything else. IIRC, he was only taking 5 or so shots a day, but was determined that they be good ones.

If it was me I'd most likely be carrying all my own gear and would either take something like a Fuji X10, or else m43 and the smallest and lightest collection of lenses I thought might work.

Whatever you do, I highly recommend taking a fast prime lens for indoor shots, and less obtrusive will be good for this too.

Have a great trip, and be careful about theft closer to Pokhara if going near Annapurna - anywhere within a day or so walk (by locals, not foreigners) has potential for problems. Don't forget to lock your doors from Gandhrung south!

Since i got the X100 and my GF a EPL2, i've hardly ever brought out my 5D2. The DSLR is just way too heavy especially with the 24-70 or 70-200 2.8IS, i find that i tend to leave the DSLR in the car so i ended up with no shots. with the x100 and EPL2, we end up with heaps more shots.

I guess the shots we end up with are more happy snaps and i can't say a DSLR is really suited to happy snaps. Maybe if i were out for dedicated photography trip i would take the DSLR but i find m43 better for small trips where photography isn't the key focus.

Rob, I've hiked / backpacked quite a lot (55 countries on 5 continents at last count), including a two-week hike in Nepal, and I've also had experience travelling with dSLRs and M43. My advice would be to take the M43 and leave the Canon at home.

I'm curious about your exact plans for Nepal. It sounds like you're doing a major trek - maybe the Annapurna Circuit?

I hiked the Annapurna Circuit a few years ago and in my opinion you should definitely just take the M43 kit. The 5D is just too heavy. I realise that you have a porter (I didn't - carried all my stuff myself), but space and weight are still at a premium when you're at 4000m or higher. Every kilo feels like 10 kilos when you hit those altitudes. You'll certainly feel the weight of the 5D after six to eight hours of hiking.

You should DEFINITELY take a fast prime, because most tea-houses have very poor lighting (no electricity in many places), and you will get plenty of good shots indoors, as the mountain people are very photogenic (a 5D will scare the crap out of them).

You should DEFINITELY take lots of batteries, as I only had two or three chances to recharge during my two-week hike.

I'm not sure if you need an ultra-wide angle lens. You'll certainly be taking lots of landscape shots, but the distances can be vast and I found that a lot of my shots were at wide-angle to medium-telephoto length.

I also don't think that dynamic range is such an issue. The sky is a very rich blue most of the time, and doesn't blow out even with a pocket cam.

Enjoy your trip. Nepal is one of my favourite countries in the world the people are amazing, the scenery is awesome, and the cities have spellbounding architecture.

Thanks very much for the detailed response. I'll be trekking for 12 days in the Everest region up to Gokyo Lakes (I did Annapurna 20 years ago in my "youth"). I'll be taking the 20mm/1.7 and 45/1.8 as my fast indoor lenses. I will be taking the 5D2 but more for purposeful landscape stuff (e.g. when I get up early and go off before sunrise just to do photography) using the 24 TS-E and 70-300L. I've decided 24mm will have to be wide enough for this trip. And I hear you on the batteries. I may have gone overboard. I have 6 batteries for the G3 and 4 for the 5D2. Will post here on my return

Cool. When will you be back? I'll try to remember to look up this thread.

Really looking forward to seeing your pix.

$10 says most of your pix are with the G3....

S

robonrome
wrote:

NZ Scott
wrote:

Rob, I've hiked / backpacked quite a lot (55 countries on 5 continents at last count), including a two-week hike in Nepal, and I've also had experience travelling with dSLRs and M43. My advice would be to take the M43 and leave the Canon at home.

I'm curious about your exact plans for Nepal. It sounds like you're doing a major trek - maybe the Annapurna Circuit?

I hiked the Annapurna Circuit a few years ago and in my opinion you should definitely just take the M43 kit. The 5D is just too heavy. I realise that you have a porter (I didn't - carried all my stuff myself), but space and weight are still at a premium when you're at 4000m or higher. Every kilo feels like 10 kilos when you hit those altitudes. You'll certainly feel the weight of the 5D after six to eight hours of hiking.

You should DEFINITELY take a fast prime, because most tea-houses have very poor lighting (no electricity in many places), and you will get plenty of good shots indoors, as the mountain people are very photogenic (a 5D will scare the crap out of them).

You should DEFINITELY take lots of batteries, as I only had two or three chances to recharge during my two-week hike.

I'm not sure if you need an ultra-wide angle lens. You'll certainly be taking lots of landscape shots, but the distances can be vast and I found that a lot of my shots were at wide-angle to medium-telephoto length.

I also don't think that dynamic range is such an issue. The sky is a very rich blue most of the time, and doesn't blow out even with a pocket cam.

Enjoy your trip. Nepal is one of my favourite countries in the world the people are amazing, the scenery is awesome, and the cities have spellbounding architecture.

Thanks very much for the detailed response. I'll be trekking for 12 days in the Everest region up to Gokyo Lakes (I did Annapurna 20 years ago in my "youth"). I'll be taking the 20mm/1.7 and 45/1.8 as my fast indoor lenses. I will be taking the 5D2 but more for purposeful landscape stuff (e.g. when I get up early and go off before sunrise just to do photography) using the 24 TS-E and 70-300L. I've decided 24mm will have to be wide enough for this trip. And I hear you on the batteries. I may have gone overboard. I have 6 batteries for the G3 and 4 for the 5D2. Will post here on my return

Great thread. I visited Costa Rica this summer with my D7000 and 3 lenses with a D3100 body for backup. We are returning this December and this time I plan to take only my newly acquired GF1, 14mm, 20mm, and 45-200mm with an LX5 as emergency backup. The total weight of the M43 outfit is a mere 33% of the Nikon outfit.

The Nikon did and excellent job but the weight and bulk was a real minus. I figured I will give the M43 a go and see what happens. If I feel that is all I need I will take only the GF1 kit to Ecuador next summer.

Do what I do - take BOTH systems along for a couple of trips and watch the big DSLR sit unused the whole time. Pay attention to how much trouble and expense it is to travel with, and how much you do not want to bring it on sight seeing walks or outings. Especially with family or when shooting people.

I take my sony R1 and pentax K-x with kit lens, 50mm f1.2, 135mm f2.5, 10-17 fisheye and 28 mm lens regularly on my trips. R1 is even bigger than dSLRs.
I am very happy with this and do not think it is any hassle.

So what you post is your opinion and what i am posting is my opinion- they are not facts for everyone else.

After a couple of those trips, you will drop the pretense and just bring along the m4/3.

Unless, of course, you start to bring the m4/3 with XZ1 or LX5 or other terrific digicam..... and see how much the digicam gets used in preference to m4/3. Ok, not quite there yet, but almost.